Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-03-22
THE JERSEY LILY.
THE REASON WHY MRS. LANG
TRY WENT ON THE STAGE.

why She Separated from Her Husband.
Her Friendship for Freddy Gebhsrd.
A Lautiabie Desire to Get Rich-fu-
ture Prospects.
Mr.. Charles Mendum, who for two years
was the private and intimate business mana
ger of Mrs. I.augtry, does not believe that
the Lily will marry Mr.. Fred Gebhard for
some time to come.
"When Mrs Iangtry has all the money in
her own right and name that she wants,
said Mr. Mendum, then sine may marry
Her whole idea is to become Independently
well of and possess fortune she has made
by her own exertionS Rich as Fred Gctr
hard is she would not be satisfied to divide
his money. What she wants il her own. She
has but two great breads in lifc-one Is get
ting old and the other is u be poor and old.
She often said to me, and il was evidently,
therefore, an idea that stuck To her: Il want
a half a million securely invested so that
cannot lose it. Then shall leave the stage
and devote myself to myself. Until then
nothing shall swerve me to this side or that"
Mr. Mendum thinks the Lily now has from
SS5O, 900 to $4,000 put aside-all Of itpretty
nearly in American mortgages At first she
sent her money to England for investment
about $4,000 of it, After that she got an
American lawyer and began her American
investments which, all of them, bring her
from to per cent fully double the interest
she would get in England.
Il was i'll the parlor car went on Mr..
Mendum, "with my wife the whole time that
Fred Gebhard Travelled in it. Mrs. Langtry
and be wouhl meet at meals, but generally III
the daytime she would retire to her own
drawing room Sometimes, when she was IN
good humor we would all play cards to-
gether for small stakes. The fact Is, she soon
found the value of Gebhard as an advertise
ment, and humored him accordingly. Love
him, no. There was never the slightest indi
cation Of even interest in him 50 far as l
could see You can always leave those things
to a woman, and my wife was OF precisely the
same opinion As was.
He was always very polite and deferen-
tial and never attempted the slightest famil
iarity. He never gave her "A present during
the whole time he Travelled with us, but every
night he sent her bouquet 1t did not mat
ter where we We're, he always managed to
have the bouquet on hand. Sometimes he
had to have them sent from other cities.
These bouquets usually decorated the break
fast table the next morning"
How about the likelihood of a divorcef
asked the reporter.
There was no likelihood when was with
her, and she evidently appeared satisfied with
the mutually agreed upon separation that had
taken place between herself and her husband
He had promised never to come near her. On
ore occasion it WAS reported that he was very
i'll and she showed great deal of emotions
surprising demonstration on the part of so
absolutely cold a woman. 1t is this GOODNESS
that settles in my mind the story that she has
fallen in love with Fred Gebhard 1t Is quite
possible. however, that some understanding
has been arrived at about a divorce. She has
not seen her husband for several years and
their separation has lasted now for more than
five. suppose. therefore, divorce might be
obtained without trouble. 1t is quite certain
that the old affair is of forever.
Il remember Mrs. Langtry telling me the
facts Of this separation and they are rather
curious The Langtrys had been in London
society for several years. and while money
had been going out absolutely nothing offered
itself whereby something would come in. At
last Mrs Langry became desperate Her 50
cial successes had been very great in London,
but these very successes cost a great deal of
| money. At length it came to the time when
only a few hundred pounds were left. Mr..
Langtry bad been doing nothing and she had
been urging him to find some business that
would give him a maintenance. She got a
sum from her father, and with what she al
ready had secured enough to buy an interest
in the phonograph, then a great invention
and generally believed to he practical With
the money she had purchased an interest in
the instrument for several OF the counties
and Mr.. Langtry went down to Bradford,
think it was. to work it. She waited for one
two and three weeks to hear from him, but
not word came.
! @Finally she determined on trip down t.
! Bradford to see what had become of the pho
nograph and Mr.. Langtry. She got there
und to her amazement found that not a thins
aai been done, that the phonograph had moi
even been started on its career, and that al
the money Mr.. Langtry had with him wa,
gone with his boon companions. Bitter re
examinations ensued and they parted forever
The following week Mrs. Langtry acceptet
an engagement from the kendalls to play a
EOS week. She crowded the Haymarke
, theatre. Then they wanted her to go on
tour through the country at the same price
! but she saw that il she could draw in Londor
she could draw still better in the provinces
so she went on her own hook. She played {.
the biggest money ever known in the larg'
centers. She was anxious, however, to &c
! to America, and wanted badly an American
manager. Somebody suggested Henry E
I Abbey, and by pure luck he fell into q tire
mendous success, but one which he worket
up beautifully
-Do you believe Mrs. Langtry will MARI,
Gebhard''
| Il don't know Who can tell the mind Of
woman, But if Fred Gebhard gets her h
will get one of the finest women alive. New
| York Journal.